Plants of the genus Taraxacum have been used in herbal medicine owing to their choleretic, diuretic and anti-carcinogenic activities (Ho et al. 1998, Takasaki et al 1999, Ahmad et al. 2000, Yun et al 2002). From the roots of the plant, several medicinal compounds including the guaianolide desacetylmatricarin, and the germacranolides taraxinic acid β-glucopyranosyl ester, sonchuside A were isolated (Ho et al. 1998; Zielinska and Kisiel 2000). Recently two new guaianolide glucosides, desacetylmatricarin 8-O-β-glucopyranoside and 11β-hydroxyleukodin 11-O-β-glucopyranoside were also isolated (Michalska and Kisiel 2003). The triterpenoids taraxasterol and taraxerol isolated from dandelion roots exhibited potent anti-tumor-promoting activity (Takasaki et al 1999).
Dandelion also produces useful secondary metabolites such as natural rubber in latex. Metabolic engineering of secondary metabolite biosynthesis pathways has become an area of great biotechnological interest during the last decade. The development of methods for the introduction of foreign genes into plants has led to significant advances in the field of metabolic engineering of plant secondary compounds and had a profound impact on the areas of medicine and agriculture.
Both et al. (1974, New Phytol. 73:453–460) regenerated new shoots from root segments of Taraxacum officinale. 
Bowes et al. (1970, Protoplasma 71:197–202) observed organogenesis in Taraxacum officinale tissue cultures.
Yeo et al. (2001, Korean J. Plant Biotechnology 16:480–485) describe the transformation of dandelion (Taraxacum mongolicum) using Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404 harboring a binary vector pBI121, where transformation efficiency was 2 to 3%.
Lee et al. (2002, Korean J. Plant Biotechnology 29:111–115) investigated effects of auxin and cytokinin on adventitious shoot formation from seedling explants of Taraxacum platycarpum. 
To promote the engineering of desirable traits into the plant, there exists a need for efficient dandelion transformation and regeneration methods.